Employment Categories

The University of Arizona employs more than 12,000 people in positions ranging from dean to accountant, from secretary to professor. Employees are designated as either Classified Staff or Appointed Personnel, and each type includes a number of employment categories and designations that determine the conditions of employment for those positions.

Classified Staff Employee

A Classified Staff employee includes any employee whose position is classified under the Arizona Universities Personnel System. Classified Staff job title, pay grade, and classification information can be accessed on the Human Resources website here. Regular Classified Staff complete an initial 6-month probation period, during which they are considered "at will employees" whose employment may be terminated at any time for any reason that does not violate public law.

Regular Classified Staff Employee

A regular employee is one who is regularly scheduled to work 40 hours (.50 FTE) or more per biweekly pay period and whose position is designated to be active for more than 6 months.

Extended Temporary Employee (ETE)

Extended Temporary Employment (ETE) is intended to meet the needs of departments that have extra or cyclical work or special projects with clearly defined beginning and ending periods. ETE appointments must be made for a minimum of 6 months and may last no longer than 24 months. ETE employees receive all rights, privileges, and benefits of Regular Classified Staff employees except that at the end of their temporary appointment, they are terminated due to lack of work or lack of funds rather than separated from employment through application of the Layoff/Reduction in Force Policy. Extended Temporary employees are retirement- and benefits-eligible.

Temporary Employee

A Temporary Employee is one whose position will be active for less than 6 months. Temporary and Part-Time employees are considered "at will" employees whose employment may be terminated at any time for any reason that does not violate public policy. Temporary employees who are scheduled to work 40 hours (.5 FTE) or more per biweekly pay period for at least 90 days are eligible for limited benefits.

Part-Time Employee

A Part-Time employee is regularly scheduled for less than 40 hours per biweekly pay period (less than .50 FTE) in a position expected to be active for more than 6 months. Part-time employees are not eligible to participate in employee benefits or insurance plans.

On-Call Employee

An On-Call employee is scheduled to work on an intermittent basis for employment periods that do not exceed 89 days of continuous employment at any given time. On-call employees are not eligible to participate in employee benefits or insurance plans.

Appointed Personnel Employee

Appointed Personnel employees of the University include faculty members, administrators, and academic and service professionals who are appointed to serve in the areas of teaching, research, and administrative services. Each year, after the University's budget has been approved, the institution distributes notices of appointment to new employees and notices of reappointment to appointed personnel whose contracts are being renewed.

Administrator

Administrators include the president of the University and those employees who report to the president who are responsible for planning, organizing, directing, controlling, and evaluating the activities of a major segment of the University. Administrative titles include president, provost, vice president, dean, department head, and director. Administrative appointments are year-to-year, and administrators are subject to Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) Policy Manual, chapter 6-101.

Faculty Member

Faculty are members of the University who are appointed to positions that are responsible for, and whose performance evaluations are primarily based on, teaching, research and public service goals and objectives of the University. Faculty titles include professor, associate professor, assistant professor, instructor and lecturer. Faculty appointments may be tenure-eligible, tenured, or career-track and are subject to Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) Policy Manual, chapter 6-201.

Career-track faculty are those members of the faculty who are not eligible for tenure. They may have designations such as clinical, or research as part of their titles. Other titles are lecturers, initially appointed as such; instructors who are candidates for a degree; visiting faculty; adjunct faculty; and individuals who hold part-time faculty appointments.

Limited-Term Adjunct Faculty

Units may hire limited-term adjunct faculty for contract periods of 18 weeks or less. Limited-term adjunct faculty are covered by Chapter 3 of the University Handbook for Appointed Personnel, policy 6-201 of the Arizona Board of Regents Policy Manual, and the following conditions:

The offer letter and Notice of Appointment will specify a flat rate for teaching the relevant course(s). Workforce Systems will calculate a biweekly rate to be paid out over the duration of the contract.

The FTE must be .49 or less (computed using .067 FTE per credit hour taught).

The position is not eligible for retirement and insurance/welfare benefits.

Academic Professional

Academic Professionals are non-classified employees involved with research or teaching programs and require professional and intellectual freedom. Examples are librarians, cooperative extensionists, scientists, and researchers. Appointments may be continuing eligible, continuing, or year-to-year and are subject to Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) Policy Manual, chapter 6-301.

Service Professional

Service Professionals are non-Classified Staff employees who have a direct role in service and require professional and intellectual freedom. Examples are employees in student services, technical services, campus health services, athletics, and public services. Service professional titles include director, editor, and coordinator. Appointments may be for a fiscal year, an academic year, or a limited term and are subject to Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) Policy Manual, chapter 6-301.

Postdoctoral Scholar

Postdoctoral Scholars have recently completed their doctoral studies and hold short-term University appointments working under the guidance and direction of faculty mentors while they prepare for careers as independent scientists and researchers.